Spatial variation in benthopelagic fish assemblage structure along coastal East Africa from recent bottom trawl surveys

• Published in: Regional studies in marine science 2016-11, Vol.8, p.201-209
• Main Authors: Kaunda-Arara, Boaz, Munga, Cosmas, Manyala, Julius, Kuguru, Baraka, Igulu, Mathias, Chande, Muhaji, Kangwe, Simon, Mwakiti, Stephen, Thoya, Pascal, Mbaru, Emmanuel, Ruwa, Renison
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bathymetry; Fish biomass; Fisheries management; Kenya; Overfishing; Tanzania
• ISSN: 2352-4855; 2352-4855
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rsma.2016.04.001

The structure of benthopelagic fish assemblages of the continental shelves and upper slopes along coastal East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) was studied based on data from bottom trawls during 2012. These surveys are the most recent since the historical bottom trawls conducted in the 70s and 80s along costal East Africa. The bottom trawls sampled fishes in 27 stations along the Kenyan coast using FV Vega, while in Tanzania 24 stations were sampled by MV Mafunzo. A total of 66 fish species in 43 families were trawled in Kenya, while 40 species belonging to 22 families were sampled in Tanzania in depth ranges of 10 m to 230 m. The highest fish biomass was in shallow (50  m) of the south coast and shallow and mid-depths (50–150 m) of north coast. The lowest species diversity was associated with Kenyan samples of north coast in the mid-depth (50–150 m) and deep (>150  m) waters. The dominant species in the trawls differed with those documented in the historical trawls of the 1970–1980s. The results provide a taxonomic database on the fish species off coastal East Africa useful for monitoring spatio-temporal changes in fish assemblages in the face of climate change effects and increasing exploitation levels.